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This interactive still life proves that code is art

We’ve watched this video 10 times already and it still blows our minds. In what I can only call an excellent example of why programming is (or at least can be) an artistic pursuit, Developer Scott Garner has created a still life painting that isn’t so still.

The piece utilizes Unity 3D (a game development tool), motion sensors and a basic C application to recreate gravity. So if you tilt the painting, the items in the piece magically tumble over — like it’s right out of the Harry Potter series.

On the hardware side is a custom-framed television connected to a rotating mount from Ergomart. Attached to the back of the television is a spatial sensor from Phidgets, makers of fine USB sensors.

On the software side is a simple C application to communicate with the sensor and feed the data to a Unity 3D scene. The scene itself consists of a camera tied to the sensor data with all lights and objects parented to it so they rotate in unison.

The project was funded by Süperfad, a brand-driven design and live action production company. The results so impressive that it’s hard to communicate exactly how it feels to witness the piece without seeing it for yourself.